90-year-old Fielding Lucas worked for six years to get Pardee appointment

Published: Sunday, December 30, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 8:29 p.m.

With any question thrown his way, Fielding Lucas will pause, contemplate and respond. He's a careful man. He's a deep thinker.

Those qualities have given Lucas, whose friends call him Luke, the perfect blueprint to his post-retirement life as a conservative watchdog. The 90-year-old Republican began a term on the Pardee Hospital Board of Directors last year — a relationship that had been seven years in the making.

Lucas has been a staple at county meetings since he retired to Hendersonville in 1993. He's been an active letter writer to the Times-News, and he's been an active member of the Republican Party.

In 2003, he began to focus his attention on Pardee. Part of that interest came from his background working for G.D. Searle Medical Instrument Group in the 1970s. He worked for the company in the Netherlands before returning to America as a vice president in the company's International Division in Chicago.

As Lucas began watching Pardee and how it operated, he requested five years' worth of the hospital's audit reports. With those in hand, he made a statistical study that included a trend line. "I discovered they were on a downward slide," he said.

He then made a presentation of his findings to the County Commissioners seven years ago.

In the years that followed that report, Lucas applied every year with the Henderson County Commissioners to be on the Pardee Hospital Board of Directors. His appointment fell short for six years by a vote of 3-2 until last year, when he was appointed by Bill O'Connor and was on the winning side of a 3-2 vote.

The Pardee board is appointed by the County Commissioners, and a shift of the board in recent elections opened the door for Lucas.

His humorous, against-the-grain style was evident in last month's board meeting. Just before the board was about to go into closed session, Lucas pointed out a line in the paperwork to check out of the hospital that offers a flu shot to patients — a moment that seemed to cause some perplexed faces.

Varied background

Lucas has a background that has spanned many careers and countries that color his experiences. He graduated high school in 1939 and enlisted in the Navy. In August 1940, Lucas was on active duty serving on the USS Helena.

In September 1941, Lucas left Hawaii just months before the Pearl Harbor attack for the Naval Academy Preparatory Class in Norfolk, Va. Just two days after graduating from the academy in 1945, Lucas married the daughter of a Navy doctor, Dorothy. The two have been married for nearly 70 years.

Lucas served in the Navy on active duty from 1939-1955 and in the reserves from 1955 until 1981. During the Korean War, Lucas earned two combat stars while serving aboard the Mansfield (DD 728). The destroyer took the lead in fire support during the Inchon landing, which resulted in his first combat star. The second came when the Mansfield struck a mine in waters deep in North Korea.

He began his private life working for Honeywell Military Systems Group in California. He worked his way up the Honeywell company ranks and became a manager of the ordnance unit, which was the center for the contract for the Navy's ASROC weapon system. Honeywell led the Lucas family to Washington, D.C., and even a short stint in Frankfurt, Germany. In Germany, he was the director of computer operations.

His next stop was for Searle in the Netherlands and Illinois. He retired from Searle and began consulting primarily with health care companies. He also began to teach finance and lectured on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trades to MBA students in Illinois and Minnesota.

Lucas had taken part in Tokyo Round of the GATT talks from 1973 until 1979. Lucas served as the vice chairman of the Industry Sector Advisory Committee No. 20, which worked to reduce the non-tariff barriers to international trade.

While he was in Minnesota, Lucas' political side began to appear. His time in Washington also influenced him, but while living in Minnesota, his watchdog persona was born. He immersed himself in local politics and carried that with him when his family came to Hendersonville to officially retire.

Community service

Even at age 90, Lucas uses his eye for details in ways that he thinks will help the community. His political life in Hendersonville has been active. He's served the GOP in different ways, but spent plenty of time helping current County Commissioner Grady Hawkins in many campaigns. That work has built a friendship that Hawkins appreciates beyond the political realm.

"He's been a very good mentor and a very good friend," Hawkins said. "He is very dedicated and is a man of principal."

Hawkins is happy that Lucas is on the hospital board.

"He's very well qualified to do that," Hawkins said. "He had a good background for it."

Board chairman Bill Moyer has noticed Lucas' eye for detail.

"He's been a good, active hospital board member," Moyer said. "I hope he's in the position to serve for a while. He takes great pleasure in getting into the details."

Lucas, who has been critical of Pardee in the past, is excited about the opportunity to serve on the board he chased for seven years. One of his key concerns is the issue of governance with the Pardee-Mission partnership in Fletcher. He also wants to "clean up the balance sheet in the audit report."

"I'm not afraid to ask questions," Lucas said. "I just want to see Pardee be a better hospital — a more comprehensive hospital."

As his second full year on the hospital board begins, Lucas said he only wants success in Pardee's future, and he wants to be a part of that success.

<p>With any question thrown his way, Fielding Lucas will pause, contemplate and respond. He's a careful man. He's a deep thinker. </p><p>Those qualities have given Lucas, whose friends call him Luke, the perfect blueprint to his post-retirement life as a conservative watchdog. The 90-year-old Republican began a term on the Pardee Hospital Board of Directors last year — a relationship that had been seven years in the making.</p><p>Lucas has been a staple at county meetings since he retired to Hendersonville in 1993. He's been an active letter writer to the Times-News, and he's been an active member of the Republican Party.</p><p>In 2003, he began to focus his attention on Pardee. Part of that interest came from his background working for G.D. Searle Medical Instrument Group in the 1970s. He worked for the company in the Netherlands before returning to America as a vice president in the company's International Division in Chicago.</p><p>As Lucas began watching Pardee and how it operated, he requested five years' worth of the hospital's audit reports. With those in hand, he made a statistical study that included a trend line. "I discovered they were on a downward slide," he said.</p><p>He then made a presentation of his findings to the County Commissioners seven years ago. </p><p>In the years that followed that report, Lucas applied every year with the Henderson County Commissioners to be on the Pardee Hospital Board of Directors. His appointment fell short for six years by a vote of 3-2 until last year, when he was appointed by Bill O'Connor and was on the winning side of a 3-2 vote. </p><p>The Pardee board is appointed by the County Commissioners, and a shift of the board in recent elections opened the door for Lucas.</p><p>His humorous, against-the-grain style was evident in last month's board meeting. Just before the board was about to go into closed session, Lucas pointed out a line in the paperwork to check out of the hospital that offers a flu shot to patients — a moment that seemed to cause some perplexed faces.</p><p>Varied background</p><p>Lucas has a background that has spanned many careers and countries that color his experiences. He graduated high school in 1939 and enlisted in the Navy. In August 1940, Lucas was on active duty serving on the USS Helena. </p><p>In September 1941, Lucas left Hawaii just months before the Pearl Harbor attack for the Naval Academy Preparatory Class in Norfolk, Va. Just two days after graduating from the academy in 1945, Lucas married the daughter of a Navy doctor, Dorothy. The two have been married for nearly 70 years.</p><p>Lucas served in the Navy on active duty from 1939-1955 and in the reserves from 1955 until 1981. During the Korean War, Lucas earned two combat stars while serving aboard the Mansfield (DD 728). The destroyer took the lead in fire support during the Inchon landing, which resulted in his first combat star. The second came when the Mansfield struck a mine in waters deep in North Korea.</p><p>He began his private life working for Honeywell Military Systems Group in California. He worked his way up the Honeywell company ranks and became a manager of the ordnance unit, which was the center for the contract for the Navy's ASROC weapon system. Honeywell led the Lucas family to Washington, D.C., and even a short stint in Frankfurt, Germany. In Germany, he was the director of computer operations. </p><p>His next stop was for Searle in the Netherlands and Illinois. He retired from Searle and began consulting primarily with health care companies. He also began to teach finance and lectured on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trades to MBA students in Illinois and Minnesota.</p><p>Lucas had taken part in Tokyo Round of the GATT talks from 1973 until 1979. Lucas served as the vice chairman of the Industry Sector Advisory Committee No. 20, which worked to reduce the non-tariff barriers to international trade.</p><p>While he was in Minnesota, Lucas' political side began to appear. His time in Washington also influenced him, but while living in Minnesota, his watchdog persona was born. He immersed himself in local politics and carried that with him when his family came to Hendersonville to officially retire.</p><p>Community service</p><p>Even at age 90, Lucas uses his eye for details in ways that he thinks will help the community. His political life in Hendersonville has been active. He's served the GOP in different ways, but spent plenty of time helping current County Commissioner Grady Hawkins in many campaigns. That work has built a friendship that Hawkins appreciates beyond the political realm.</p><p>"He's been a very good mentor and a very good friend," Hawkins said. "He is very dedicated and is a man of principal."</p><p>Hawkins is happy that Lucas is on the hospital board.</p><p>"He's very well qualified to do that," Hawkins said. "He had a good background for it."</p><p>Board chairman Bill Moyer has noticed Lucas' eye for detail.</p><p>"He's been a good, active hospital board member," Moyer said. "I hope he's in the position to serve for a while. He takes great pleasure in getting into the details."</p><p>Lucas, who has been critical of Pardee in the past, is excited about the opportunity to serve on the board he chased for seven years. One of his key concerns is the issue of governance with the Pardee-Mission partnership in Fletcher. He also wants to "clean up the balance sheet in the audit report."</p><p>"I'm not afraid to ask questions," Lucas said. "I just want to see Pardee be a better hospital — a more comprehensive hospital."</p><p>As his second full year on the hospital board begins, Lucas said he only wants success in Pardee's future, and he wants to be a part of that success.</p><p>"I just want to do good things for that hospital," he said.</p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>